1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to a spool. More specifically, the present invention relates to a spool that is detachably connected to a spool shaft of a spinning reel and is configured to reel out a fishing line in the forward direction.
2. Background Information
In order to apply a drag force to a spool, a drag washer of a drag mechanism is attached to the spool of a front drag spinning reel. The drag mechanism prevents the fishing line from being easily cut, even if the load is increased rapidly on the fishing line due to a caught fish. The drag mechanism is disposed between a spool shaft and a spool that is rotatably supported by the spool shaft. The drag force of the drag mechanism is regulated by a drag regulation member that is screwed onto the spool shaft. The drag mechanism includes a plurality of drag washers that are disposed between the drag regulation member and the spool and are non-rotatably provided on the spool shaft or the spool. The drag regulation member is allowed to contact the drag washer. The drag washer is attached to a circular housing recess that is formed in a front portion of the spool.
In this type of drag mechanism, the drag force is applied to the spool by pressing the drag washer toward the spool by rotating the drag regulation member. It is possible to regulate the drag force by regulating the pressing force. In addition, after the drag regulation member is removed from the spool shaft, the spool is allowed to be removed from the spool shaft.
In drag mechanisms that include multiple drag washers, the frictional force varies when the frictional surfaces of the drag washers get wet. Even when the drag regulation member is set to remain in the same position, the drag force varies. In response to this problem, it is has been conventionally known to use a sealing member that is attached to the front of the drag washer between the drag regulation member and the circular recess formed in the front portion of the spool. As a result, water is prevented from entering from the outer peripheral side of the drag regulation member and contacting the frictional plate (see, for example, Japanese Patent Application Publication No. H11-A-196739).
For the purpose of generating sound during operation, a drag regulation member for conventional drag mechanism is made up of two members. The first member is configured to be rotatable with respect to the spool shaft. The second member is configured to be non-rotatable with respect to the spool shaft. Because of this, a gap is generated between these two members. Therefore, even when a sealing member is attached between the drag regulation member and the spool, if water enters the interior of the drag regulation member through the gap, there is a possibility that water will also intrude into the drag washer side along the spool shaft that penetrates the center part of the drag regulation member. In response to this problem, the conventional spool is configured such that a sealing member is disposed not only between the drag regulation member and the spool, but also between the two members of the drag regulation member.